A nine-year-old boy was killed and four other children sustained severe injuries yesterday after a speeding motorist lost control of his vehicle and crashed into them along Wole Olateju Crescent, Lekki Phase 1.
The driver, whose identity remained unknown at press time, was allegedly overspeeding when the incident occurred at about 2:31pm.
The Controller General of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Mrs Margaret Adeseye, who confirmed the incident in a statement on Sunday, said the victims, aged between eight and 13, were standing at the gate of a house when tragedy struck.
“The incident involved a Lexus RX 300 jeep with registration number GGE 750BM, which occurred at No. 1, Wole Olateju Crescent, Kingshisha, Lekki Phase 1, off Admiralty Road, within Eti-Osa Local Government Area,” she said.
Mrs Adeseye explained that preliminary investigations revealed the vehicle lost control due to excessive speed before ramming into the five male children.
“Four of the victims were rescued alive but sustained severe injuries and were subsequently conveyed to an undisclosed hospital by sympathisers. One male child, aged nine years, was suspected dead at the scene,” she stated.
A video clip from the accident scene showed the lifeless body of the deceased child with blood gushing from his head.
The fire service boss disclosed that the matter had been handed over to the police for further investigation, adding that officers from the Maroko Police Division were present at the scene.
“The affected vehicle was later evacuated by a private towing company with registration number GGE 812HX and taken to the Maroko Police Station,” she added.
In a separate incident, Mrs Adeseye said two persons were rescued alive after being trapped inside a fuel tanker opposite Ecobank in Apapa.
She said the victims were carrying out repair works when they became trapped, but were successfully extricated by fire service personnel and immediately conveyed to hospital for treatment.